Department of Health and Social Care

Employment: Coronavirus

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued on whether people should return to work after having had COVID-19 but without having taken a PCR test.

Lord Kamall: We have issued online guidance on 11 October which states that individuals who have COVID-19 symptoms should stay at home and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Anyone subsequently notified by NHS Test and Trace or local authority contact tracer that they have tested positive is legally required to self-isolate. Employees should notify their employer in such circumstances.An individual can return to work, after the end of their self-isolation period if their symptoms have gone or if the only symptoms they have are a cough or anosmia, which can last for several weeks. There is no requirement to return a negative PCR test in order to end self-isolation. Individuals who still have a high temperature or are otherwise unwell should stay at home and seek medical advice.Stay at home guidance (pdf, 418.1KB)

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what conditions qualify someone in England as vulnerable and thus eligible for COVID-19 booster vaccines; and what are the estimated numbers by each condition.

Lord Kamall: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advises that individuals who received vaccination in phase one of the COVID-19 vaccination programme should be offered a booster vaccine. This includes those aged 50 years old and over and those aged 16 to 49 years old with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe COVID-19. Information regarding the estimated numbers by each underlying health condition is not held centrally in the format requested.

Hospital Wards: Gender

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will investigate reports that an NHS trust has been labelling patients who wish to be placed on single sex wards as 'transphobes', 'offenders' and 'perpetrators'; and whether they will name the trust involved.

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what statistics are available on the number of male patients identifying as female who have been placed on female-only NHS hospital wards, including in mental health facilities, and (2) how many assaults on female patients there have been by male patients identifying as female.

Lord Kamall: The information requested is not collected centrally. Any patient, irrespective of their gender, who has a history of violence or sex offences and may pose a risk to others should be risk assessed and any relevant action taken to ensure the safety of others.NHS England and NHS Improvement have not received any information relating to these reports. All patients should be treated with respect and dignity, in accordance with the values of the National Health Service.

Anaemia: Children

Baroness Pinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to introducespecific policies that will reduce the occurrence of nutritional anaemia in children.

Lord Kamall: While we have no specific plans to do so, the Government’s advice on a healthy, balanced diet for children is shown in the Eatwell Guide. The Eatwell Guide is a visual representation of the types and proportions of foods needed for a healthy balanced diet, including variety of iron rich foods essential in preventing anaemia.

Anaemia: Children

Baroness Pinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many instances of nutritional anaemia in children have been treated in paediatric units in hospitals in Englandin (1) 2019, and (2) 2020.

Lord Kamall: The information is not held in the format requested. Data on admissions do not record the type of ward or unit where a patient was treated and does not represent the number of incidences treated.

Coronavirus: Screening

Lord Mawson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyhave made of the market costs for COVID-19 PCR tests for the general public; and what steps are they taking to lower these costs.

Lord Kamall: We are committed to working with the travel industry and private providers to reduce these costs and since requirements were introduced for international travel testing, the costs have fallen significantly. We have reduced the cost of NHS Test and Trace tests for international arrivals from £88 to £68 for ‘green list’ arrivals or fully vaccinated ‘amber list’ arrivals and from £170 to £136 for two tests for ‘amber list’ arrivals who are not fully vaccinated. By the end of October, fully vaccinated passengers travelling from non-‘red list’ countries will be able to replace their day two test with a cheaper lateral flow test, reducing the cost of tests on arrival into England.

Disease Control

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) what advice they have given to the NHS about priorities for preventing disease, and (2) what percentage of total health expenditure is devoted to disease prevention.

Lord Kamall: The 2021-22 Mandate to NHS England and NHS Improvement sets an objective to improve the prevention of ill-health and delivery of public health services. This includes investment in evidence-based programmes on smoking, alcohol and secondary prevention of heart attacks, stroke, diabetes and dementia.While National Health Service spending on prevention is not collected in the format requested, the Office for National Statistics estimates that prevention forms approximately 5% of all public funding on health in the United Kingdom. We have asked NHS England and NHS Improvement to introduce a yearly prevention spend, outcome and trajectory reporting criteria, including for major preventable diseases.

Eyesight and Hearing: Research

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to establish a national eye health and hearing study for the UK.

Lord Kamall: There are no specific plans to do so. However, the National Institution for Health Research is currently funding a number of related studies, including a £1,586,456 study of neo-vascular age related macular degeneration and glaucoma and a £656,052 project on risk prediction.

Medical Equipment: Innovation

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will request that the Medical Technologies Directorate publish a definition of “innovative medical devices”.

Lord Kamall: We have previously discussed the need for a definition of innovation within medical devices with the industry. As part of our overall strategy, we will engage with the public sector, industry and healthcare provider organisations to develop this definition.

Coronavirus: Drugs

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the use of Ronapreve has been restricted only to people who are currently hospitalised with COVID-19; what assessment they have made of the numbers of patients expected to be treated with Ronapreve in the next 12 months; and what, if any assessment, they have made of the benefits of providing it as prophylaxis for high-risk patients who are not in hospital.

Lord Kamall: The current supply of Ronapreve is limited globally and the clinical policy prioritises the most vulnerable patients for whom this treatment will have the largest beneficial impact. The use of Ronapreve is being monitored and the interim clinical policy will be updated if supported by the latest evidence.The number of patients treated by Ronapreve will depend on the infection rate over the next year; the degree of vaccine protection; the availability of Ronapreve and other products; and on National Health Service clinical policy. To date, the evidence has most strongly supported treatment indications, but the evidence on prophylactic use will continue to be actively reviewed.

Coronavirus

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to expanding the guidance on the symptoms of COVID-19, given the results of the ongoing ZOE COVID Study.

Lord Kamall: Experts continue to keep the symptoms under review as our understanding of the virus develops. We assess the data from the COVID Symptom Study in addition to other surveillance studies and will update our guidance if necessary.

Anaemia: Children

Baroness Pinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children with nutritional anaemiawere treated in each of the English NHS regions in (1) 2019, and (2) 2020.

Lord Kamall: This information is not held centrally.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Families

Lord Tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the UK armed forces families' strategy will be published.

Baroness Goldie: I refer the noble Lord to the reply given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence People and Veterans (Leo Docherty), in the House of Commons on 6 September 2021 to the hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne (John Healey) in response to Question number 40594. Armed Forces: Families (docx, 16.0KB)

Aircraft Carriers: Far East

Lord Tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what impact, if any, rising tensions between China and Taiwan have had on the route for the carrier strike group.

Baroness Goldie: The Carrier Strike Group's ships navigated the South China Sea and HMS Richmond navigated the Taiwan Strait as necessary between planned activity in the Indo-Pacific region. The tension between China and Taiwan, although noted, did not change the routing of the Carrier Strike Group.

Aircraft Carriers: Military Exercises

Lord Tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government with what countries to date the carrier strike group has had (1) engagements, or (2) military exercises; and what were these engagements and military exercises.

Baroness Goldie: The table below sets out the countries and/or overseas territories that the UK Carrier Strike Group has interacted with during this deployment.  Country / Overseas TerritoryActivityAustraliaPassage Exercise , air interaction, Exercise BERSAMA GOLD[1]BangladeshPort visit to ChittogramBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryPort visit to Diego GarciaBruneiPort visit to Bandar Seri BegawanCambodiaVirtual defence engagementCanadaExercise PACIFIC CROWN (Pacific Ocean) South China Sea navigation in companyCyprusPort visit to Limassol and LarnacaDjiboutiPort visit to DjiboutiEgyptPort visit to AlexandriaFranceExercises Atlantic Trident (North Atlantic) and Gallic Strike (Mediterranean) Press ReleaseGeorgiaPort visit to BatumiGibraltarHosted reception at seaGreecePort visits to Piraeus and Souda.GuamPort visits to GuamIndiaMaritime Participation Exercise in the Indian Ocean Press ReleaseIndonesiaPort visit to JakartaIsraelExercise Falcon Strike and Exercise Tri-Lightning (both in the Mediterranean). Port visit to HaifaItalyExercise Falcon Strike, transit in western Mediterranean, Port visits to Augusta, Messina and Taranto Press ReleaseJapanPort visits to Sasebo, Yokosuka, Funakoshi, Exercise PACIFIC CROWN (Pacific Ocean), quad carrier exercise (with two carriers from the USA, one from Japan and HMS Queen Elizabeth), Reception and capability demonstration, South China Sea navigation in company Press ReleaseMalaysiaPassage Exercise, Exercise BERSAMA GOLDMontenegroPort visit to Bar, Reception and Capability Demonstration, Press ReleaseNew ZealandSouth China Sea Transit in company, Exercise BERSAMA GOLDOmanPort visit to DuqmRepublic of KoreaSearch and rescue exercise, at sea reception and capability demonstration Press ReleaseSaudi ArabiaPort visit to Jeddah. Passage ExerciseSingaporePassage Exercise including some limited air exercising. Port visit to Sembawang. Reception and capability demonstration, Exercise BERSAMA GOLD Press ReleaseSpainPort visits to Alicante and CartagenaThailandCo-ordinated maritime manoeuvres Press ReleaseTurkeyPort visit Istanbul Press ReleaseUkrainePort visit to Odessa Press ReleaseUnited StatesDual, tri and quad carrier exercises. Exercise Atlantic Trident (North Atlantic), Exercise Gallic Strike (Mediterranean), Exercise Falcon Strike, Exercise Tri-Lightning Press Release Press ReleaseVietnamPort visit to Da Nang and Passage ExerciseNATO*Exercise Steadfast Defender (North Atlantic), Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 - Operation Sea Guardian (Mediterranean), At-sea reception and capability demonstration Press Release Press Release  *Whilst not a country, assets from the UK Carrier Strike Group also participated in NATO-led military exercises and engagements.  [1] Five Powers Defence Arrangements Exercise hosted by Malaysia with participants from Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the UK.

Department for Work and Pensions

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to support (1) people living with stage 5 kidney disease, and (2) severely immunosuppressed people in the workplace, given recently published data show these groups are not adequately protected following two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk associated with severely immunosuppressed people, including kidney transplant patients, returning to the workplace; and whether specific advice and workplace support will be provided to this group.

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information and guidancethey will provide toemployers on how best to protect people who are severely immunosuppressed and may not mount an adequate immune response to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Baroness Stedman-Scott: I refer the hon. Peer to the answer given to his previous question HL2092. Throughout the pandemic, HSE has encouraged businesses to manage risks in order to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 in workplaces through the provision of detailed guidance. HSE published updated guidance on 19th July to reflect changes as a result of the lifting of coronavirus restrictions in England Keeping workplaces safe as coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions are removed (hse.gov.uk). HSE does not consider vaccination of employees to be a workplace control. Businesses must control the risks and review and update their risk assessment to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 by providing adequate ventilation, regular cleaning and frequent handwashing. Businesses can also continue to reduce the risk of transmission during the pandemic by taking measures to limit the number of people their workers are in contact with, and UK government guidance on working safely provides further information and advice on these measures covering a range of different types of work. Employers’ health and safety responsibilities include taking reasonable steps to protect all workers and others from the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in connection with their work activities. As these control measures apply to all workers, regardless of their relative levels of vulnerability or the potential outcome, there are no expectations of additional control measures for Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) workers or the need for individual risk assessments.The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advises employers to have individual discussions with their CEV employees about any workplace concerns and understand what is in place to protect them. There is specific guidance on the HSE website to support employers to do this https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/working-safely/protect-people.htm

Home Office

Hamas: Proscribed Organisations

Lord Austin of Dudley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to proscribe Hamas's political wing as a terrorist group following the UK's withdrawal from EU.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government does not routinely comment on whether groups are, or are not, being considered for proscription. The Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations under review.

Hamas: Flags

Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ban the flying of the Hamas flag in the UK following its widespread use in demonstrations in 2021.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The military wing of Hamas remains a proscribed organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000 enabling firm action against those who openly support it, including in displaying logos and flags.We are committed to ensuring the police have robust powers to respond to activities that spread hate and maintain order. We are strengthening powers to manage disruptive protest through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

Cabinet Office

Cybercrime

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what cyber security precautions organisations are required to take when selling software or providing software as a service to the Government.

Lord True: Each government department is responsible for managing security risk when procuring any service based on their own risk appetite. Cabinet Office and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) provides guidance on how to do this including through the provision of commercial frameworks which include cyber security clauses. This is made clear in the Minimum Cyber Security Standard for Government which state that “Departments shall understand and manage security issues that arise because of dependencies on external suppliers or through their supply chain”.The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) provides extensive guidance and recommended security frameworks that apply to a wide range of digital services. Buying organisations are encouraged to use these in determining their requirements to ensure that appropriate security controls are specified according to risk.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Collapse of Football Index Independent Review

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the recommendations of the Independent Review of the Regulation of BetIndex Limited, published on 13 September, what steps they are taking, beyond additional funding, to ensure that the Gambling Commission is better able to monitor and intervene in the case of novel gambling products.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Gambling Commission has already taken steps to address issues identified in the independent reviewer’s report, including updating its frameworks for risk-based regulation so that novel products are placed under greater scrutiny and commencing a review of all remote licensees to check for issues relating to boundary-pushing products. The Commission and the Financial Conduct Authority have also strengthened their Memorandum of Understanding, including new escalation routes so that regulatory impasses are identified and overcome quickly.As set out in the terms of reference, the independent review into the regulation of BetIndex was intended to inform our ongoing Review of the Gambling Act 2005. This is looking closely at a range of issues, including the Gambling Commission’s powers and how it uses them, as well as the potential risks posed to consumers by new and emerging technologies. We are considering its findings and recommendations carefully, and aim to publish a white paper setting out any conclusions in due course.